Red Clam Sauce: 100th Recipe!

By an admittedly rough estimate, La Piccina Cucina has hit 100 recipes since the first post in March 2010! That ain't half bad, if you ask me! What graces the 100th recipe spot? Another Popolizio family favorite - red clam sauce. As with most Popolizio recipes, wonderfully simple ingredients and process yield a delicious result.

I'm kind of surprised with myself that I haven't posted this one yet. The recipe is basically the same as white clam sauce, with tomatoes added. Now that I think of it, it does omit the butter and the white wine (which are technically optional, anyway), although I suppose you could keep those in for fun.

And here it is, your (drumroll) 100th recipe!
3/4 lb linguine or spaghetti rigati
3-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, chopped and lightly salted
1 can minced clams (keep the juice)
1 can chopped clams (keep the juice)
Salt to taste
Pinch of parsley, for garnish

Start the water boiling for your pasta and cook. In the meantime, pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a pan and add your garlic; heat over medium-high for a couple of minutes (don't let the garlic burn). Add your tomatoes and let those cook down for a few minutes, then add your clam juice from the two cans. Bring it to a boil if it's not already there, then reduce heat to low and simmer. It should be ready pretty soon after the pasta is done - make sure the tomatoes have started to break down. A few minutes before you're ready to serve, stir in the clams and continue to cook for a few minutes over low heat. Pour your drained pasta right into the pan while still on low, toss, garnish with parsley, then serve.

Linguine alle Vongole (Linguine with Clams)

This is one of my favorites. And oh my goodness is it fast. Ideally, you'd make this with real, shelled clams. But the cans work well enough. I probably make this differently every time I do it. Here's how I did it this time. 3/4 lb linguine 1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 can minced clams 1 can chopped clams Up to 1/4 cup olive oil (1 tbsp butter, optional) Splash of white wine (nice if you have it) Pinch of black pepper (optional) Pinch of salt (optional) Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) Pinch of parsley This is so fast, you don't even need to start the sauce until you've started cooking the pasta. So, bring your water (lightly salted, drop of olive oil) to a boil, add your pasta, and start your sauce: Pour olive oil into a large saucepan. How much? Well, it makes up a decent portion of your sauce. A few pours; around a 1/4 cup, probably. Let that heat up over medium-high heat, then add the garlic and turn down the heat a little. Let the garlic flavor the oil a bit (don't let it burn), then add the juice from the two cans of clams. Let that cook together for a couple of minutes. Add the pinch of black and red pepper (Joef says, "Much more than a pinch!"), along with the parsley and the salt. You can turn the heat down and just let the flavors cook together a bit. When the pasta is about 2-3 minutes from done, add the clams with a splash of wine and cook them into the sauce on medium or medium-high heat, letting the alcohol cook off. Drain the pasta, add it directly to the pan and coat with sauce. Serve with parsley as garnish.